WILLIAM EIMBECK

Background

William Eimbeck was born in Brunswick, Germany, the third son of Frederick and Henrietta Eimbeck.

Education

He attended public and private schools in his native city and later the Polytechnical and Agricultural College, but considered himself as largely self-educated.

For the last two years of this period he also served as professor of engineering and practical astronomy at Washington University.

Career

In 1857 he came to the United States.

Landing in New Orleans, and proceeding to St. Louis, he became a draftsman with Palm & Roberson, locomotive builders.

In 1860 he took up civil engineering and for the next nine years he assisted in various municipal and county engineering projects in and about St. Louis.

In 1869 he assisted, as one of a group of voluntary observers organized by the Coast and Geodetic Survey, in observing the solar eclipse of August of that year.

His work in this connection led to his selection as an observer in the party which the superintendent of the Coast Survey took to southern Europe to observe the total solar eclipse of December 1870.

After various assignments which took him into a number of different eastern and western states, and during which he secured a thorough command of geodetic operations, he was assigned, in 1878, to begin the eastward extension of the primary scheme of triangulation which was to follow approximately the 39th parallel of latitude.

Beginning in Nevada he carried this work forward for eighteen years to a connection with another party on the Continental Divide.

The region traversed necessitated the carrying of supplies and instruments over hundreds of miles of desert and waste, and included observations on mountain peaks up to 14, 000 feet in elevation.

On one occasion a remarkably long line of triangulation was observed, a distance between two mountains of 183 miles.

The successful execution of this work called for high qualities of leadership and resourcefulness, in addition to the technical qualifications of the geodetic engineer.

In 1883, while engaged on the triangulation of the 39th parallel, Eimbeck submitted to the superintendent of the Coast Survey plans and specifications for a new type of base-measuring apparatus.

This was later constructed and became known as the duplex base apparatus; and in 1896, along the eastern shore of Great Salt Lake, Eimbeck measured a base of about seven miles in length with this apparatus, the probable error of which was derived as one part in 1, 600, 000.

A description of the duplex base apparatus and the report on the measurement of the Salt Lake base line are given in the Report of the superintendent of the Coast and Geodetic Survey for 1897.

The onset of Bright’s disease compelled him to resign from the Survey in 1906.

Achievements

• He was appointed to the engineering force of the Coast Survey; and here for thirty-five years he was engaged in various phases of geodetic field work, but principally in triangulation, in which branch he made his principal contributions.

Works

• book

  • Report on the measurement of the Salt Lake base line (U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey report for 1897)

Views

A bachelor all his life, Eimbeck was a member of a number of scientific societies and one of the founders of the Cosmos Club in Washington.

Membership

Coast and Geodetic Survey

member of a number of scientific societies and one of the founders of the Cosmos Club in Washington

Personality

A fine figure and of robust health for the greater part of his active life.

Connections

Father:

Frederick Eimbeck

Mother:

Henrietta Eimbeck